Digital Natives Facebook readiness For online Entrepreneurial Learning in Small Transition Economies
Oliana Sula
Journal of E-Technology, Vol. 9, No. 3, 2018.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6025/jet/2018/9/3/82-96
Link: http://www.dline.info/jet/fulltext/v9n3/jetv9n3_2.pdf
Abstract:
Young students in small transition economies are digital natives and active users of online social networks.
Entrepreneurial learning and entrepreneurial opportunities may arise from their activity in online social networks. In order
to take advantage from the entrepreneurial education potential of online social networks, Facebook readiness must be
determined. Facebook is the most widespread online social network globally even there are a lot of recent controversies
about how young people use it and how the limits and the impacts of its usage can be defined. The aim of this paper is to
analyze different constructs and their respective structure which determine Facebook readiness for entrepreneurial purposes
in a small open economy such as Albania. This study employs mixed methods approach. Quantitative data from were collected
from a questionnaire distributed to Albanian students and analyzed with Exploratory Factor Analysis technique
where structure of seven constructs of Facebook readiness for entrepreneurial purposes were determined. Qualitative data
are collected from focus groups and interviews and they are used to analyze two other implications of online social networking
readiness such as support from online mentors and online entrepreneurial orientation. Focus groups were arranged in
Tallinn and Helsinki with Estonian, Finish and international Erasmus + students served to explore further on the challenges
of Facebook readiness for entrepreneurial learning compared to other online social networks and focusing on the online
networking mentoring dimension. 12 semi-structured interviews were realized with more experienced Albanian and Estonian
young entrepreneurs in order to explore entrepreneurial learning orientation